EFFECT OF ORAL COENZYME Q10 (CoQ10) THERAPY ON CoQ10 CONTENT IN MYOCARDIUM AND PLASMA OF CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT PATIENTS
S. Pepe*, S. Marasco, M. Wowk, F. Thompson, R. Ou, F.L. Rosenfeldt.
Cardiac Surgical Research Unit, Alfred Hospital and Baker Medical Institute, Melbourne, Victoria.
CoQ10 is a potent lipophilic antioxidant present in cell membranes and a key component of the inner mitochondrial membrane respiratory chain. We recently detected an age-associated decline in human myocardial CoQ10 content and reported that in vitro exposure of atrial trabeculae to CoQ10 can increase cellular content and improve post-ischaemic atrial contractile function.
Aims: To test whether (1) Oral CoQ10 treatment can elevate plasma, myocardial and mitochondrial CoQ10 levels in cardiac surgery patients, particularly in high risk elderly subjects. (2) CoQ10 incorporation after oral treatment is as effective as in vitro CoQ10 exposure in raising myocardial CoQ10 content.
Methods: In randomised, double-blind fashion, 77 patients received 150mg CoQ10/day, 300mg CoQ10/day, or placebo for an average of 7 days prior to cardiac surgery. Trabeculae were dissected from the tip of discarded right atrial appendages. CoQ10 levels were determined by HPLC analysis of hexanes extracted samples at 280nm.
Results: In contrast to placebo, 300mg/day CoQ10 produced: a 3-fold increase in serum levels from 0.5±0.06 to 1.6±0.1mg CoQ10/ml serum (p<0.0001, n = 30); a 2-fold increase from 21±4 to 40±5mg CoQ10/g/w.w. trabecular tissue (p<0.0001, n = 23);l and a 2-fold increase in isolated mitochondria from 5.7±0.8 to 11.2±0.9mg CoQ10/mg protein (p<0.0001, n = 11). Although 150mg/day produced a 2-fold rise in serum CoQ10 (p<0.0001, n = 17), it failed to alter total tissue or mitochondrial CoQ10 content.
Conclusions: (1) 300mg oral CoQ10 per day results in significant increases of CoQ10 in plasma, myocardial membranes and particularly myocardial mitochondria. (2) Levels of myocardial CoQ10 that were achieved with oral therapy were similar to therapeutic levels were achieved previously after in vitro treatment.
